Headline News

12, September 2018

Rockets fired at airport in Libya’s capital Tripoli ⁰

Rockets were fired late on Tuesday in the direction of the airport in Libya’s capital, residents said, forcing flights to be diverted, less than a week after the United Nations brokered a fragile truce between rival armed groups in Tripoli.

A spokesman for a faction controlling Matiga airport, the only one functioning in the capital, said there were no casualties or damage. Libyan channels reported that several people had been wounded by the rockets, one of which landed in the Mediterranean sea.

Rival groups have been fighting in Tripoli for several days but clashes had been focused on the south of the city.

Matiga airport lies in an eastern suburb. A Libyan Airlines flight bound for Tripoli from Alexandria, Egypt, was diverted to Misrata, the airport said on its Facebook page. Misrata lies about 190 km (120 miles) east of Tripoli.

A spokesman for Misrata airport said that all flights bound for Tripoli would be diverted to Misrata.

Separately, Islamic State claimed responsibility for a shooting attack on the headquarters of Libyan state oil company NOC in Tripoli, the jihadist group’s news agency said on Tuesday.

The attack on Monday killed two NOC staff and wounded 10, said officials, who had described the three shooters who were also killed as “Africans.”

It targeted the “economic interests of oppressing governments funding crusaders,” a statement carried on the militants’ Amaq news agency said. It was the first attack of its kind against the leadership of Libya’s state oil industry.

Libya has been divided into rival administrations but NOC has continued to function relatively normally across the country, which relies on oil exports for most of its income.

Militants loyal to Islamic State have previously carried out attacks in Tripoli and other towns, despite having lost their stronghold in the central city of Sirte late in 2016. In May, Islamic State claimed a deadly attack on the national election commission offices in Tripoli.

(REUTERS)

11, September 2018

New UN Human Rights Chief says Southern Cameroons crisis worsening ⁰

New United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has expressed worry over the worsening security situation in Cameroon’s Anglophone region.

Bachelet intimated that the situation required urgent attention even though Yaounde had failed to take the lead in ensuring a resolution to the crisis.

She spoke about the economic, social and educational impact of hostilities by government forces and separatists, condemning attacks of teachers and students in the south-west and north-west regions.

Bachelet’s comments were part of her opening statement at the 39th session of the Human Rights Council on 10 September 2018. Her predecessor, Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein had in several statements bemoaned the crisis and called for the government to pursue an immediate resolution.

Michelle Bachelet’s full comments on Cameroon

The situation in Cameroon has also worsened in recent months, as fighting has intensified in the so-called Anglophone regions between security forces and armed groups, with a large number of civilian victims and over 180,000 people forced to take refuge far from their homes – now in pressing need of humanitarian assistance.

Many economic activities across these regions are now paralyzed. In this volatile security context, many people fear reprisals if they participate in the Presidential elections scheduled next month.

The Government has not acted to promote the conference on dialogue suggested by religious leaders, and there is still no mechanism in place which could envisage a halt in hostilities in the short term.

We strongly condemn reports of the killing and abductions of teachers and students and the destruction of schools by armed elements in the north-west and south-west regions. These acts of intimidation are preventing thousands of children from attending school.

We note that the Government has opened investigations into several atrocious crimes apparently committed by members of the military, and urge swift and effective action to ensure all the perpetrators of human rights violations are held accountable.

Due process should also be guaranteed for all those detained in connection with terrorism, and we urge the Government to address key grievances, in order to foster peaceful resolution of this crisis.

Source: Africa News

11, September 2018

Australian paper under fire for ‘racist’ Serena Williams cartoon ⁰

An Australian cartoonist faced withering criticism on Tuesday for portraying tennis superstar Serena Williams using — what Harry Potter author JK Rowling described as — “racist and sexist tropes”.

Mark Knight’s caricature, published in Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper on Monday, showed a butch and fat-lipped Williams throwing a temper tantrum at the US Open.

In the midst of losing Saturday’s final, the 23-time Grand Slam champion smashed her racquet and called the umpire a “thief” and a “liar”.

She was deducted a point and received a US$17,000 fine, stirring the tennis world and sparking a broader debate about double standards toward men and women in the sport.

In Knight’s cartoon, Williams was seen jumping up and down having spat out a dummy as the umpire asks Haitian-Japanese tournament winner Naomi Osaka “can’t you just let her win?”.

Knight, who has a reputation for controversial cartoons, was pilloried from far and wide for his portrayal — including by a member of the US Congress and a large portion of the 22,000 people who commented on his Twitter post showing the drawing.

The detractors included author JK Rowling, who said: “Well done on reducing one of the greatest sportswomen alive to racist and sexist tropes and turning a second great sportswoman into a faceless prop.”

Knight responded to the criticism by pointing out that he had drawn an unflattering portrayal of Australian male tennis star Nick Kyrgios “behaving badly”.

“Don’t bring gender into it when it’s all about behaviour,” he said. Michael Miller, executive chairman of News Corp Australasia, which publishes the Melbourne’s Herald Sun, defended his cartoonist.

“Criticism of Mark Knight’s Serena Williams cartoon shows the world has gone too PC & misunderstands the role of news media cartoons and satire,” he said.

“Poor behaviour in any sport needs to be called out.”

The Washington Post ran a searing post about Knight’s cartoon, calling it “racist” and reminiscent of the era of racial segregation in the United States.

“Knight draws facial features reflecting the dehumanizing Jim Crow caricatures so common in the 19th and 20th centuries,” commentator Michael Cavna wrote.

Other US media pointed out that Osaka was portrayed as petite and feminine with jet blonde straight hair — in real life she has dark curly hair with blonde streaks and is taller than Williams.

Australia is a highly multicultural country, but also sees frequent public dust-ups about the use of racially and sexually loaded language. William’s loss cost her a chance to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles.

During the match she was given three code violations by Carlos Ramos — the first for receiving coaching, the second for racquet abuse and the third for verbal abuse of the umpire. The second and third violations earned Williams a point penalty and then a game penalty, giving Osaka a 5-3 second-set lead that effectively gifted her the title.

AFP

11, September 2018

Bilateral deals, corporate investment to the fore as China trims state funding to Africa ⁰

China has for the first time reduced the amount of money pledged to support the promises of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, as elements of the event suggest a maturing of Sino-African relations.

Chinese trade with Africa has dropped significantly in recent years, down to $170 billion in 2017 from a peak of $220 billion peak in 2014. As scrutiny of China’s influence in Africa – the debts owed, political involvement via training programmes, military presence – intensifies and Beijing’s own attention is diverted by the emerging trade war with the US, the $10 billion reduction in funding announced at the 2018 FOCAC forum in Beijing this month should perhaps not be seen as a surprise.

At $60 billion, the headline figure for the mix of aid, loans and credit lines promised seems at first glance to match the amount pledged at the previous summit in Johannesburg in 2015. Up until then, the figure had grown dramatically since the triennial summits of the FOCAC programme began in 2006.

This year’s $60 billion pledge comes as more of a mixed bag for African nations, as it actually includes a $5 billion reduction in the overall amount of pledges, loans and export credits at $35 billion, down from $40 billion three years ago. However, the level of concessional assistance to Africa is now $5 billion, the highest rate ever, according to analysis by Johns Hopkins University.

Most noticeably, the figures for the various amounts of government funding add up to $50 billion, and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at $60 billion again by including $10 billion in extra investment that Chinese companies would be encouraged to make on the continent. No further details of this were available and Chinese companies here in Ivory Coast are not yet prepared to comment on what the announcement means for them.

Around the prearranged announcements of the forum itself were side events and bilateral meetings as the Chinese hosts sought to integrate their Belt and Road trade initiative more concretely with individual nations. Details are yet to emerge, but some African leaders entered the meetings with clear requests. For example, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta sought help for an extension for the country’s troubled railway project that has previously been financed by China.

At the continental level, President Xi outlined eight areas of initiative and cooperation including industrialisation and agriculture hailed by the FAO; healthcare, hailed by the WHO; aligning with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 development plan; security and green development, an area in which China is the global leader.

China’s ‘five-no’ pledge

While some African nationals took to social media to criticise their leaders for what they believed was the blind acceptance of Beijing’s will, the mood at the events in the Chinese capital was of genuine cooperation. According to sources at the event, the announcements most welcomed by African delegates were the “five-no” promises, the clarification of five things that China will not do in Africa.

In the Chinese president’s own words there will be “no interference in African countries’ pursuit of development paths that fit their national conditions; no interference in African countries’ internal affairs; no imposition of our will on African countries; no attachment of political strings to assistance to Africa; and no seeking of selfish political gains in investment and financing cooperation with Africa”.

These declarations are a direct response to the growing criticism, predominantly by the West, of what is being called Chinese neo-colonialism across the continent – the notion of saddling countries with debt for useless projects as a way to secure resources. For example, over 90% of Djibouti’s external debt is held by China.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who co-chaired the event with China’s Xi, said at the forum, “In the values that it promotes, in the manner that it operates, and the impact it has on African countries, FOCAC refutes the view that a new colonialism is taking hold in Africa, as our detractors would have us believe”.

Ramaphosa went on to state that: “We are working [together] to build an Africa that is defined by good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law,” listing all the areas in which China is most criticised by the West.

The forum’s announcements were immediately accompanied by supportive editorials from China’s state media. The People’s Daily, the publication seen as the most direct link to the Communist Party, pushed out fact sheets on social media defending China’s involvement in Africa.

Back in China, the announcements of funding led to criticism online by Chinese citizens complaining about the amount of money being sent overseas when parts of their own country are extremely poor. Such comments were promptly removed by censors.

It will take some time for the details of the 2018 event to emerge, but the China International Import Expo later this month in Shanghai is now the next China-Africa date on the calendar after Xi announced reduced or free participation for African nations and pledged to create a specific China-Africa trade expo.

The FOCAC events started at the request of African leaders 18 years ago to make bilateral relations more transparent. The triennial summits alternate between China and an African nation playing host. The 2021 FOCAC gathering will take place in Senegal.

Source: France 24

11, September 2018

US: White House hits back at Woodward over new revelations ⁰

The White House is calling Bob Woodward “reckless” and “careless” over his revelations in a new book.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the comments on Monday, not dismissing the idea of a lawsuit against Woodward over his book.

“A number of people have come out and said Woodward never even reached out to corroborate statements attributed to them, which seems incredibly reckless for a book to make such outrageous claims to not even take the time to get a $10 fact-checker to call around and verify that some of these quotes happened,” Sanders said during Monday’s press briefing.

Some administration officials have already refuted claims attributed to them in the book, titled Fear: Trump in the White House.

They include Defense Secretary James Mattis, chief of staff John Kelly and former Trump attorney John Dowd, all of whom have “aggressively” hit back at the claims.

“I think those are far more credible sources, and far more reliable voices within this administration and that can accurately tell what’s taken place in the building behind me,” Sanders said.

Releasing responses to every single allegation by Woodward “would be a complete and utter waste of our time.”

The veteran journalist has been promoting his book, which describes a paranoid White House under the New York billionaire.

Source: Presstv

11, September 2018

Nigeria: Gas tanker explosion kills at least 35 ⁰

At least 35 people were killed on Monday and hundreds injured when a gas tanker exploded in northern Nigerian state of Nasarawa and started a blaze, the state emergency agency said.

Footage from Nigerian Television Authority NTA shows fire, smoke rising and injured people being carried on stretchers.

The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) official said the accident happened at a petrol station along the Lafia-Makurdi road linking the capital city of Abuja with northern and southern Nigeria.

Usman Ahmed, acting director at SEMA, said the truck exploded at the point of discharging the gas, citing a witness account. The agency was investigating the incident, he said.

11, September 2018

Ghana receives Kofi Annan’s remains ahead of funeral ⁰

The Ghana government officially received the mortal remains of Kofi Annan, the former United Nations Secretary-General who died on August 18 in Bern, Switzerland; aged 80.

Annan’s mortal remains left Geneva aboard a private plane with his coffin draped in the flag of the body he served for decades. Some members of the Annan family including his wife arrived with the body.

The plane arrived at the Kotoka International Airport, KIA, at 16: 00 GMT and was received by Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo at a brief military ceremony. The UN flag was taken off and replaced with the Ghana flag upon arrival.

The former global diplomat is due to be given a full state burial that will span for three days. Between his arrival and burial at a military cemetery on September 13, a number of events have been planned to celebrate his life.

Body of Kofi Atta Annan arrives on Monday 10 September 2018 at 1600 hours.
Laying in state for paying of respect by public on Tuesday 11 September 2018
Laying in state for paying of respect by dignitaries on Wednesday 12 September 2018
Both events at the foyer of the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) from 1000 to 1600 hours daily.
Funeral service at the Auditorium of AICC on Thursday 13 September 2018 at 0900 hours.
This will be preceded by filing past and paying of last respect by VVIPs only from 0730 to 0830 hours.
Burial is slated for the military cemetery located in the capital, Accra.

It is expected that Heads of State, high ranking United Nations Officials including the Secretary General and other high profile international personalities will attend the funeral ceremony.

Source: Africa News

11, September 2018

Cameroon No Longer Under President Biya’s Control, CPDM baron Says ⁰

A senior member of the Yaoundé Francophone regime has told Cameroon Intelligence Report that the country is no longer under the control of President Biya and his forces. The French Cameroun political elite who hail from the South region also said the Ambazonian Restoration Forces stand a better chance of taking control of more territory deep inside French Cameroun.

The CPDM MP and Central Committee member who sued for anonymity further pointed out that the mismanagement of the crisis in Southern Cameroons and Biya regime’s excessive use of force against innocent Ambazonian civilian population has made the situation more intractable.

An indefinite dusk to dawn curfew has been imposed on Southern Cameroon’s Northern Zone after the Minister of Territorial administration, Paul Atanga Nji and his gang reportedly staged armed attacks on buses in Bamenda late on Saturday and blamed it on the Ambazonian Restoration Forces.

Cameroon Intelligence Report understands the Francophone Northwest governor Adolphe Lele Lafrique said the curfew between 6pm and 6am from Sunday will remain effective till further notice. The attack on buses is also apparently the reason that the Francophone army retreated from the Southern Cameroons suburbs to the main motorways linking French Cameroun to Southern Cameroons.

Cameroon government sources have also reported that the 85 year-old President Biya has for the 9^th time decided to split the responsibilities of his top military officers, taking away from non Beti Ewondo army generals the sole mandate for dealing with the crisis that has gripped La Republique du Cameroun in the Far North, the East and presently in Southern Cameroons.

The mandate in Buea, the chief city in the Southern Zone was recently passed partly to a Francophone colonel after General Melingui was sacked and ever since he took over control, the colonel has been responsible for military operations and repression including arrest of Southern Cameroons resistance forces. Cameroon Intelligence Report also gathered that President Biya’s relatives in the army and in the gendarmerie are now imposing a blockade on families of the Cameroon political establishment, in order to prevent them from leaving the country.

If these intelligence that were handed over to our senior political correspondent in Yaoundé are correct, they point to a very heavy pressure on Biya and his French backers, and indicate fear bordering on hysteria as to what is happening in the nation’s capital.

Despite troubling signs of a major crack within the army and the police, the highest ranks of the military billionaires are still loyal to the CPDM regime. Many junior officers who were recently deployed to Southern Cameroons simply defected and escaped to the Ivory Coast via Nigeria. It is not clear whether the Ivorian government is aware of the presence of many French speaking Cameroonian soldiers on its territory.

Violence continued over the week end as the Ambazonian Interim Government reported that several Southern Cameroons civilians were killed by Cameroon government forces in restive areas on the outskirts of Buea, Bamenda, Manyu and Wum Counties.

The deaths in the Wum and Mamfe areas included 27 teenagers and two women. The African Union and the UN Security Council are not seeking military action to end the bloodshed in Southern Cameroons.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

10, September 2018

Tennis world divided after Serena Williams’ US Open outburst ⁰

Voices in the tennis world have spoken out both in support and condemnation of US tennis champion Serena Williams after the angry outburst that cost her a game, and possibly the match, during her US Open final on Saturday.

Williams’ behaviour divided the tennis world after she called the chair umpire a “liar” and a “thief” and said he treated her differently than male players during her loss to Naomi Osaka of Japan.

Rallying in support of the 23-time Grand Slam champion, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) on Monday called for the equal treatment of all tennis players, male or female.

“The WTA believes that there should be no difference in the standards of tolerance provided to the emotions expressed by men vs. women and is committed to working with the sport to ensure that all players are treated the same. We do not believe that this was done last night,” CEO Steve Simon said in a statement.

Williams, who was seeking a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title on Saturday, was given three code violations by chair umpire Carlos Ramos in her 6-2, 6-4 loss to Osaka. The six-time US Open champion was handed a warning for a coaching violation before being deducted a point for smashing her racquet. She then had a heated argument with Ramos, which cost her a game.

Williams, who has since been fined $17,000 by the United States Tennis Association for the violations, vigorously disputed each of them during the match.

Support and condemnation

In the wake of Osaka’s first Grand Slam triumph, there were messages of support for Williams as well as those condemning her behaviour and agreeing with the umpire’s calls.

Tennis great Billy Jean King wrote on Twitter: “When a woman is emotional, she’s ‘hysterical’ and she’s penalized for it. When a man does the same, he’s ‘outspoken’ and there are no repercussions. Thank you, @serenawilliams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same.”

Yet Australian Margaret Court, whose tally of Grand Slam singles titles is being chased by Williams, had little sympathy for the 36-year-old American former world number one.

“We always had to go by the rules,” Court, who dominated tennis during the 1960s and early 1970s, said according to a report in The Australian.

“It’s sad for the sport when a player tries to become bigger than the rules. “Because the young player outplayed her in the first set, I think pressure got her more than anything.”

Racquet smash

The drama started when Ramos handed Williams a coaching violation early in the second set because of hand gestures made from the stands by her coach Patrick Mouratoglou. He later admitted the offence, which is not allowed in the sport but is rarely punished.

When the violation was announced Williams approached Ramos to insist she never takes coaching and would rather lose than “cheat to win”.

Things seemed to settle down as Williams went on to break Osaka for a 3-1 lead, but she gave the break right back in the next game with a pair of double faults, prompting the former champion to smash her racquet on the court.

That resulted in a second violation, meaning Osaka was awarded the first point of the sixth game. Williams, who was under the impression the first violation had been rescinded, returned to Ramos to seek an apology for saying she had received coaching earlier.

During a changeover, Williams resumed her argument with the umpire, this time saying he was attacking her character and was a “thief”. That triggered a third violation, which resulted in a game penalty that gave Osaka a 5-3 lead.

From there, Williams summoned the tournament referee to the court and said male tennis players are not punished for similar offences.

‘Williams was wrong’

Tennis great John McEnroe, one of the game’s most tempestuous characters in his playing days, said the sport must find a way to allow players to express feelings and inject their personality into the game while adhering to certain rules.

According to McEnroe, Ramos should not have given Williams a violation for breaking her racquet and should have warned her early on about what would happen if she did not move on.

“I’ve said far worse,” McEnroe, a seven-times Grand Slam singles winner, said on ESPN. “She’s right about the guys being held to a different standard, there’s no question.”

Yet Richard Ings, a former professional chair umpire who also used to be the ATP Tour Executive Vice-President, Rules and Competition, felt it was Williams who needed to apologise.

Ings once issued a warning, point penalty and a game penalty against McEnroe at the 1987 US Open for obscenities directed at the umpire.

“We should not let her record, as glowing as it is, overshadow the fact that on this day, in this match Williams was wrong,” Ings wrote in The Sydney Morning Herald.

“The decisions made by Ramos had nothing to do with sexism or racism. They had everything to do with observing clear breaches of the grand slam code of conduct and then having the courage to call them without fear or favour.”

(FRANCE24 with Reuters and AP)

10, September 2018

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Northern Zone hit by French Cameroun dawn-to-dusk curfew ⁰

An indefinite dusk to dawn curfew has been imposed on the English-speaking Northwest Cameroon after armed separatists attacked buses and blocked access into the regional capital, Bamenda late on Saturday.

Northwest governor Adolphe Lele Lafrique said the curfew between 6pm and 6am from Sunday will remain effective till further notice.

“During the said period, movements of vehicles, persons and goods shall be strictly forbidden. All off licences, snack bars and night clubs shall remain closed….and night travel suspended,” the governor’s order reads.

The restriction that exempts administrative authorities, law and order agencies, persons and vehicles in possession of special authorisations and ambulances, came a day after armed separatists attacked buses and passengers and obstructed movement into and out of Bamenda.

Partially damaged

Over 20 70-seat passenger buses were blocked at Akum on the outskirts of Bamenda Sunday morning, with some partially damaged.

A trader, Mr Gideon Fai, who was traveling to Douala, recounted on phone that gunmen stopped and ordered them out of their bus, then forced them to tear off the Cameroon flag from their national identity cards.

The men had dug a trench across the road with the help of an excavator from a road construction company. They later set the excavator ablaze.

Separatist groups claimed responsibility for the attack on social media, saying it was part of a plan to stop military reinforcement from other regions and also to disrupt the presidential election scheduled for October 7.

The anglophone separatist activists who have been clamouring for secession and the creation of the Republic of Ambazonia, have warned that they would not allow any election organised by the Yaoundé regime to take place in “their country”.
They have also warned that no buses would be allowed into or out of the English-speaking northwest and southwest regions after September 15.

Strikes and protests

The almost two-year long violence that has gripped the English-speaking regions started as an industrial strike by lawyers and teachers, but escalated into an internal armed conflict with fears the Central African country could slide into a civil war if the violence persists.

Violence and unrest escalated in late 2016 after a series of strikes and protests against what teachers, lawyers and students viewed as further discrimination against Anglophones. Between September 22 and October 1, 2017, large-scale protests were organised across the Anglophone regions to symbolically proclaim the independence of a new state of Ambazonia, but the government responded with violent repression.

Recurrent confrontations between armed separatists and government troops have led to the killing of dozens of people, hundreds others imprisoned while thousands have been forced out of their homes.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) estimates that some 160,000 people have fled their homes in the strife-hit regions into the bushes, while more than 21,000 have crossed to next door Nigeria as refugees.

Source: The East African